Lima: My Top Ten Moments

I'm sure you have all been waiting with bated breath since my last post, wondering to yourself, but what is she doing now?  Well, rest assured, dear friends, the wait is over.  I decided to make my own top ten list for Lima.  This is by no means comprehensive of all the possibilities, but these are my 10 favorite moments from my week in Lima.  What you will notice, is that most of these are merely the result of good timing, and being open to an unexpected opportunity.  Few if any of these would be listed in a guidebook, or on the list of "must see in Lima" that a tour company might tell you, so I am so thankful that we happened to be that at that moment, ready for what was available.  Whatsmore, they were nearly all free!

10)  Public Art
Lima has a good amount of public art- sculptures on corners and public space designed with an artistic eye.  One of my favorite pieces was an installation along the coastline, a large, tiled functional art piece dedicated to love.  Walls and benches were decorated with tile pictures and quotes about love.  Couples found places to sit and many people sat in relaxation, looking out onto the waves.

9)  Huaca Pucllana
Unexpectedly, as I was walking with my new travel buddy Katja, we came upon the most remarkable sight: a huge pre-Inca building right in the middle of Lima!  Called Huaca Pucllana, it is a pyramidal relic from the Lima people, from 200 to 700 AD, constructed completely from adobe bricks.  It is a highly protected sight of great historical significance, and pretty impressive to imagine all the work that went into building such an enormous structure by hand.

8)  San Cristobal
Also by chance, Katja and I hopped on a tour bus that went through the historical part of Lima, and then on to San Cristobal, a hill just outside of the center with a shrine at the top.  I enjoyed the ride, and having a high view of the city.  The best part for me, though, was winding our way through the very tight, winding roads as we crept up the hill (and then back down)  It was thrilling, actually; the bus seeming too big to even fit in these narrow streets.  We dodged dogs, cars, taxis, mototaxis and pedestrians, all the while listening to blaring salsa music.

7)  Morro Solar
My 7th favorite activity was actually another hill, this time on the south side of town.  Atop the hill was another crucifix, but what really made the trip amazing were the views of the coast!

6)  Salto del Fraile
In this same excursion, a little further down the coast, we (accidentally) timed it perfectly to come upon the Salto del Fraile (The Priest's Jump).  Every day, a priest, dressed in traditional robe, makes a jump off a cliff into the churning ocean water below, climbing back up to collect tips from onlookers.  It was a remarkable sight, and he made it look so easy!  If you notice in the background of these pictures you will see the huge waves coming in.

5)  Malecón
Since Lima is right on the water, it is blessed with a remarkable amount of coastline.  To it's credit, Lima has capitalized on this with a beautiful Malecón: a seafront walkway lined with small parks, public artworks, piers, vistas, and even tennis courts, a hang gliding site and public exercise equipment.  My favorite thing about this, aside from just being outside and near the water, was just seeing all of the families out together, people out and active, and loving pet owners taking their dogs for a stroll.  I walked along part of this nearly every day of my weeklong stay.

4)  Pokemon Go
Number 4 on my list is on here less because I enjoyed it, and more because it was just so memorable.  Katja and I had just made our way to the Punta (the point, the furthest tip of Lima).  It is a lovely seaside space with lots of locals there relaxing.  We had just arrived, walking towards the water to watch the fishermen repair their nets, when all of a sudden a huge flood of largely adolescent males swarmed out to the ocean's edge, eyes glued to their phones.  "Well, this is a big school trip, I thought."  But then I kept watching.  Everyone was just watching their phones, hobbling across a stoney beach, not noticing the beauty that surrounds them.  "Oh no," I thought, "it can't be."  But yes, yes it was.  Over 100, probably closer to 200 people, in a swarm, playing Pokemon Go.  I was shocked.  I had no idea there was such an immense following still.

3)  Pisco Sour on the Beach
Thanks to a local friend, we were treated to a lovely evening in the southern part of Lima.  There we sat, overlooking the water, and enjoying the local drink:  Pisco Sour.  It wasn't fancy, but it was relaxed, and a really special night, seeing the city through the eyes of a generous local.

2)  Circus Show
In the southern, more touristy, part of town, there is a large public park.  Every time I went through it, it was full of people, locals, tourists, families, and lots of smiles.  One day, yet again with our excellent timing, we happened upon the park just as a circus show was about to start.  The performer mesmerized his audience of both children and adults.  He had interactive parts of the show, and mixed in a generous amount of comedy, maintaining a crowd that only continued to grow as he went through his acts.  As I watched, I was so impressed with his timing, his charisma, and I couldn't help but feel that that was a bit of what teaching is like.  You have to be part clown to gain and maintain the attention of 25 youngsters all day.

1)  Art Market
While traveling, I am always on the lookout for interesting art.  I try to wade through the mass-produced, touristic art, and find something more unique and unusual.  So far, I have found some amazing pieces, and anyone who has been to my apartment has seen some of them.  That is about the only kind of souvenir I buy anymore: art that inspires me to keep creating.  Here in Lima, I spent 2 days scouring every art market I could find, and was pleased to find some really beautiful work amongst the rest.  My favorite moment from this was meeting this woman, Milagros (Miracles, in spanish).  After much scrutiny, I bought three paintings from her, not even haggling over the prices.  I thought they were very fair, and the work was good.  What made this moment special, was that one of the paintings was hers, and the second was her uncle (and teacher's) work.  If I only had a camera at that moment to capture her joy.  At that moment she was lit up with childlike excitement; she literally jumped in the air, screaming, and gave me a hug with a huge smile on her face.  It was a really great moment.  Art is a really tough way of life, so I am really glad that I was able to support her in her work.

So that's it!  My Top Ten Things in Lima!   I hope you are inspired to take your own trip down here, and then let me know what your top ten are!  I want to give a special thanks to my dear travel buddy Katja, my kind hosts Abi and Lucho, and to my charismatic and generous guide, Christian.  You guys really made that week special!